I'm trying to refine my skills at slip trailing and struggling. I'm having trouble getting slip to squirt in a smooth flowing manner, sometimes on top of one another and with feathering.

Mixing it thin and putting lots of Epson salts in it to flocculate helps a great deal but I can't get it to flow like I see in these two videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJOYTqST5b8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PyKDYCNzF4

 

Do you have any suggestions?

Are there some additives that would improve the flow?

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When I have done any wet slip work like feathering or marbling, I havent added anything to slip - just clay, water and some oxides for colour. I suppose results maybe depend on clay body a little. Are you decorating freshly thrown or leather hard pots?
I've found runny slip techniques much easier on freshly thrown pots.

Maybe I am too quick to add additives. I will give it a try your way.

Thanks for the suggestion

 I found my  solution in small tattoo bottles that I bought  on eBay for $.75 a set. They work like magic. I'm actually doing glaze trailing on bisque.Glaze trailng on bisque actually works very well.  If you screw up, wash it off and try again.

16pc-Set-Henna-Kit-Applicator-Nozzles-Bottles-Paste-Tattoo-Body-Art-Drawing-Tool

What a great discovery. I could not find them at first, but then discovered similar bottles for henna art. Can't wait for them to arrive (it will be a while, because they are from China).

Lawrence Weathers said:

 I found my  solution in small tattoo bottles that I bought  on eBay for $.75 a set. They work like magic. I'm actually doing glaze trailing on bisque.Glaze trailng on bisque actually works very well.  If you screw up, wash it off and try again.

16pc-Set-Henna-Kit-Applicator-Nozzles-Bottles-Paste-Tattoo-Body-Art-Drawing-Tool

Larry:

Got shut down at work today, 1/2" of ice will do that. Gave me the chance to watch your videos, a little chemistry at work. The base has gum in it; giving it just a slightly thicker viscosity, and structure (resist running). The decorating slip I suspect is sodium based; if you noticed the base slip "seemed" to repel it. Interesting to watch the reaction ( which you call running).

Could be possible the base has gum and sodium based; and the decorating slip is then repelled.

Tom

Right now I am frozen out of my studio. When it warms up a bit I would check the slip recipe to see if it is sodium based. However my little bottles seem to have solved the problem quite nicely. Thanks for your suggestions.

I do a bit of glaze trailing with my work. The bottle/tip is designed for oiling small model trains. The price was very reasonable and the supplier was on Ebay and located in the US, but I have since lost the address/contact. Tips are metal and rather long which seemed easier to use than the short ones (more like drawing with a pen/pencil) If you should come across them give me a shout. thanks. carl

Get into the Way-Back machine, and take a look at Charan Sachar's video posted in 2009. Using miniature cake decorating funnels, home made from mylar, he achieves a level of sensitivity and control that is impossible when squeezing a thick plastic bottle or syringe. 

Thanks george

That is a technique that I will have to try

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